NYTimes.com:
Blas
P. Uberuaga, Xian-Ming Bai, and colleagues at Los Alamos
National Laboratory in New Mexico have shown that by altering
the microstructure of metals, metallurgists may be able to make
nuclear reactor parts that are self healing.
Their
conclusions are based on computer simulations of the
long-term impact of neutron emissions on copper—not
because much copper is used in nuclear plants, but because it
is a relatively well-modeled metal.Cracks in the internal parts
of reactors are a big concern both to the nuclear power plant
operators (who want to keep maintenance costs low, and any
repairs that require shutting the reactor down cost a lot of
money), and to regulators (who want to make sure that
radioactive material doesn't leak into the environment).
Related link
Efficient
annealing of radiation damage near grain boundaries via
interstitial emission
